Angels’ Josh Hamilton to miss ‘minimum’ of two weeks

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Angels have yet to play a Cactus League game and Manager Mike Scioscia was already was fielding questions Wednesday about whether outfielder Josh Hamilton would be available for opening day.

“We’ll see when we get there,” Scioscia said. “We’re optimistic he will be.”

Hamilton strained his left calf on Tuesday, and Scioscia confirmed that the left fielder would sit out “a minimum of a couple of weeks.”

Hamilton had an MRI examination Tuesday, and the Angels have been told that the injury should heal on its own -- ruling out the kind of severe strain that would require surgery.

“This thing has to heal on its own terms,” Scioscia said. “We’ll see where it leads.”

Hamilton, 32, batted .250 with 21 home runs and a .739 OPS last season, a disappointing first year of his five-year, $125-million contract with the Angels. In his final season with the Texas Rangers, he batted .285 with 43 homers and a .930 OPS.

“It is going to be a great year. I know it is. I believe it is,” Hamilton said Tuesday. “There have been times where I tweaked something in spring training and had a great year.”

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